Hollow And Alone
by FluffMistress-And-SilverWolf
Summary: After a few years of being abused by his dad, Matt runs. He gets hit by a car and ends up with amnesia. He gets found by a really strange group. What now?
1. Chapter 1

FluffMistress: Urgh... Please. Kill me. I have the worst case of allergies a person could get. I don't own Digimon in any way, shape, or form.

Summary: It killed him to see what was happening...but he was too scared to stop himself or anyone else...

* * *

"Crow…" Terrified eyes centered on the black German shepherd that lay limp in the middle of the Kitchen floor. The boy's mother walked up behind her son, gasping. "No…why…?" Matt turned to his mother, distraught gaze staring at her. Natsuko shook her head as her husband entered, looking around. He spotted the dog and grunted, stepping over it and heading for the coffee maker. "Matt, wake that damned dog up before I kill it." Matt shook his head. "But…he's already…"

"Go now damnit!"

--

"Matt, what happened to the doggy?" Takeru sat on the ground, poking the still dog as Matt continued to dig a large hole. Matt shook his head.

"He's sleeping, Take-Chan." Matt said, air staling around the two. Once the dog was buried, Takeru stood.

"Why you burry her, Matt?" He asked, pointing at the ground.

"It's 'him', Takeru…And…He…He needed a more…comfy place to sleep."

"But the ground's not comfy…Matt…?" Takeru followed him, talking on end about how the dog was not supposed to be in the ground. Once the two reached the house, Matt held Takeru back at the door as he listened.

"The damned brat is coming with me, Natsuko. Give it up. Ever since we've had him, he's liked me more than you."

"You're wrong! I'm not letting you have my son, Hiroaki!"

"I'll fuckin' kill you. Leave him to me. Or else.

"No!"

"Shut the fuck up, damnit!" There was a thud, and Matt backed up against the wall with Takeru as their father stormed from the house, leaving in the car. Matt sighed, and pulled Takeru into the house. Being five, Matt was sure his brother didn't need to see what was happening to their family. Natsuko sat up, starting to sob. Takeru walked over to her, poking her in the arm.

"Mommy, why are you crying? Where did daddy go? Mommy…? Matt shook his head and only offered his mother a hug.

"I'm sorry…mom…" Matt said. Natsuko just shook her head, pulling both boys to her.

"Matt…please…If I do anything to make you hate me…anything at all…Just know that I never meant to hurt you…" She ran her fingers through Matt's hair, pulling the older of the two close.

"You're father—he wants to keep you…I'm going to have to file a divorce…I want to take you with me, Matt. You and Takeru.." Matt bit down on his lip.

"It's fine…I'll stay. I don't want you to get hurt, mom. You take Takeru and keep him safe. He's the one that doesn't need to be exposed to this kinda stuff…" Matt said. He headed down the hall to his room, shutting the door behind him. Natsuko knew Matt was angry with her. She could only hope that he forgave her for being so weak…

--3 years later--

_'Aw man…If I actually get finished it'll be a miracle.' _Matt was scrubbing the Kitchen floor. With a toothbrush. Why with a toothbrush? Because. He had forgotten to lock the shed after getting some blankets out for winter. He was forbidden from eating and restricted to his room unless he was doing chores or going to the bathroom for nearly a month. He grumbled, throwing the toothbrush into the soap bucket. He picked it up, carrying it to the east end of the house.

"At least I'm going to see mom this weekend." He grumbled. That was good. That meant he was getting away from his dad. He glared at the door across the room, getting the toothbrush out and scrubbing furiously on the hardwood floor.

"Hey brat! Are you done yet? Dinner's in half an hour and I'm hungry!" Matt rolled his eyes, mumbling something very inconsiderate under his breath.

"Yes, Dad!" Matt called. He put the toothbrush away, before going to the Kitchen to turn the soup he was cooking off. He then prepared a bowl, taking it back to his Dad's study. He walked in, setting it on the desk. "I'm going to bed." Matt grunted, walking back to his room. He, fortunately, hated his dad. It was Friday, the last day of the week. A whole two days from chores was a godsend, in his opinion.

--

The weekend hadn't come quick enough for Matt. He jolted off the train, running straight up to Takeru and his mom and hugging Takeru as if he were his lifeline.

"Hey Takeru!" Matt grinned, tapping Takeru on the nose. Takeru grinned. "Look Matt! I lost a tooth!" He said. Matt nodded. "Very good!" He said. He then looked up to his mother. "Hey, mom, what's that over there?" He grinned as Natsuko looked away, and Matt took the few seconds to take five dollars from his pocket and press it to Takeru's palm. Takeru grinned as Natsuko looked back, holding his hands behind his back.

"Uh huh." Natsuko gave Matt a warning look, before plucking Takeru up off of the ground and holding her hand out to Matt. As they walked back to the Apartment, Natsuko noticed something. "Matt? Where'd that bruise come from?" She asked, brushing her fingers across Matt's cheek. Matt winced, pulling away immediately.

"U-Uh..I tripped off of the bus on the way home from school…" He grumbled quietly. Natsuko frowned sadly at him. "You don't have to hide it, Yamato. I know." Natsuko shook her head. "I just wish I could do something about it…But… I don't have custody of you…I should do something though…" Matt panicked as he saw the determined look.

"N-No! I don't want you or Take-Chan involved!" Matt said feverishly. "I don't want you guys hurt…Just…stay away." Matt let his head drop as he walked. Natsuko sighed. She would get arrested if she got caught up in it. Her son was only eight and had already matured far more than he should have. She looked up at Takeru, frowning. It pained her to see Matt forced into adulthood so quickly. He already dressed himself, didn't need help taking a bath, and he was making straight A's in school… With anyone else, the parent would be mother fucking proud. But for Natsuko, it was just one huge mess and nightmare that neither she nor Matt could escape.

"Mama, can we go to the Park today?" Takeru bounced on his heels as he watched Natsuko make lunch.

"I don't know…maybe tomorrow. Tonight you two need baths and we also need to go shopping for new clothes." Natsuko said. Matt walked into the Kitchen, standing next to Takeru. "Mom? Can I help you with anything?" He asked. Natsuko shook her head. "No, sweetie. You don't need to do anything except be a kid here. I don't like you acting all…adult like. It scares me, Matt." Matt tilted his head to the side, confused. He then turned and walked back towards his room, Takeru on his heels.

"I'm gunna party like a rock star, hit a bunch a strip bars, wake up naked in a hotel room!" Takeru was spinning about the bedroom as Matt fiddled with some songs on the computer. Even though his brother was completely off key and probably knew nothing about what the songs were about, it was still amusing to see him try. Matt turned, leaning back and watching the younger sibling attempt to do some odd break dance.  
_  
'He's so naïve…how did I lose that? I can't remember being like that…'_ Matt stared off into space, an odd smile quirking his lips. Takeru stopped, walking over to him and climbing up to sit in his lap.

"Watcha thinkin' 'bout, big brother?" He asked. Matt shook his head. He laughed. "I'm thinking about how dorky a dancer you are." He said playfully. Takeru pouted. "Do not! I don't dance bad! Mama said I dance good!" Takeru said. "I'm just kiddin', Take-Chan!" Matt said, shrugging. Takeru laughed, jumping from Matt's lap to the floor. He stood up, grinning. "I'm superman! Did ya see that? I flew! I flew!"

"Heheh, I saw, Takeru." Matt turned the music off, before going down the hallway back to the kitchen where Natsuko was setting the table. "Alrighty, guys. After you eat, we're going shopping…" She eyed Matt wearily, before nodding. Matt nodded also to her, and went to the table to eat. At least here, he didn't need to worry about starving or anything. He wanted more than anything for things to go back to the way they had been before his parents started fighting. It was mainly over Takeru…

No. He wouldn't blame his brother for anything. The child had done nothing. Though, between the time Takeru was born and the time he turned a year old, his dad had turned into the worst possible fear for a four year old. Matt hadn't liked the change, either. No one had. Though…

"C'mon guys. Let's go." Takeru stumbled after Matt as he walked, hopping into the backseat as they left for the store. This could result in something good…or bad. But Matt was for once, scared.

And he couldn't stop it.

* * *

FluffMistress: Should I continue or trash it? It's up to you!


	2. Chapter 2

FM: Uh...I know this was supposed to be in a little earlier, but I swear. School came up. I missed a few days and I had to make up some work over the past few weekends. I also went up to Mississippi to visit my aunt so I could talk to her on horse riding lessons. So...I've been pretty busy. Anyway, here it is! The second chapter! And I don't own Digimon

* * *

The ride to the store was not something Matt was looking forward to. So, as he sat in the back seat, he began twiddling his thumbs. What else was there to do? When they finally made it to the actual destination, —with pit stops along the way—Matt literally jumped for joy. This was the time he could pick more clothes to bring back with him; he didn't get a lot of clothes. As they walked into the store, Takeru had to look around in awe. 

"It's so big..." He said, his eyes wide. Matt resisted the urge to roll his eyes; Takeru did that every single time they came here. Natsuko just nodded, before taking off towards the clothes. Matt followed, not exactly interested in anything else.

"How's this?" Natsuko held a shirt up, a grin splitting over her face. Matt waved it off. "Nah, I don't like orange." Natsuko nodded, before going back to looking. Matt took the time to watch Takeru; the kid was inching his way out towards the toy isle.

"Takeru…" Matt gave him a warning tone, and Takeru instantly backtracked. "Uh…yes big brother?" He asked, a guilty grin on his face. Matt just shook his head it him.

"I've got it!" Natsuko held up a long sleeved blue shirt where as the sleeves were a lighter shade. Matt nodded to accept it, and Natsuko pulled out a pair of brown khakis to go with it. She shoved the outfit to him, sending him off to go change.

Once Matt was changed, his mother looked him over. The shirt was a bit loose, but it was the smallest for his age that they had. She frowned. "You need to eat more." She stated absently, flattening his hair. Matt blinked. "I'm forbidden from eating for a while." He said.

"For _what?_" Natsuko asked angrily. Matt shrugged. "I forgot to lock the shed last week from getting blankets out." He went back to change to his original clothes as Natsuko fumed.

"He shouldn't have the right to do that! I'm going to bring this up in court! That's child abuse!" Matt half-heartedly listened to her rambles, yawning. He was used to this. He came back out and put the outfit in the basket, wincing. Natsuko stopped.

"Anything wrong?" She asked. Matt paused, but shook his head. "I'm fine." He said. He rubbed his eyes, before walking over to where Takeru was, grabbing his shirt. Takeru was holding a huge green hat with a blue gem in the middle. Matt raised an eyebrow.

"Mama, I want this!" He said, holding the hat up. Natsuko sighed. "You're never going to grow into that." She commented softly. Matt just smiled. "I'm sure he'll grow into it." Natsuko just smiled at Matt's words, nodding.

"Of course." She said, taking the hat and putting it in the basket. After choosing a few other outfits, they went to the coats. Matt looked around absently, before his eyes caught something. He paused, staring. Natsuko looked up. "Matt, what—," Natsuko's eyes followed his gaze.

"Oh…" She went over next to him, crouching down. "Do you want those?" She asked. Matt nodded wordlessly. Natsuko resisted the urge to laugh, hugging him. "Of course." She said. They were a simple pair of brown gloves, but… Matt didn't know what he was drawn to them by. Natsuko went up to the counter, and Matt looked up.

"Here." She said, holding them out to Matt. Matt gained the same look as before. To him, this was… He slowly reached out to take them, before grinning. "Thank you!" He hugged her, before running off to go show Takeru, who was playing over by the basket.

When they had left the store, Matt could only dread the upcoming Monday. Tomorrow, he had to leave in the afternoon to catch his train so he could go to school the following morning. It was just a matter of time. Takeru was sitting next to him, trying to figure a rubix cube. Matt yawned, leaning back in his seat. In all honesty, he hated school. It just…wasn't good enough to get away from. Sure, he escaped his dad for a short period of time, but… He just didn't have anything to fight for.

"Matt…?" Matt looked over, offering a smile at Takeru.

"Yeah?"

"Why is dad being mean to you?" He asked. Matt frowned.

"What would make you think that?" He asked. Takeru looked down. "Well…I heard mama crying in her sleep about dad hurting you…she never does that…"

Matt listened, and his heart plummeted guiltily. Was he really causing his mom that much pain? He lowered his gaze.

"I'm a fool, Take-Chan." He said quietly. "Dad isn't hurting me…I'm hurting myself. I've done wrong, so I get punished. I'm a bad kid." He said, leaning back in the seat. Takeru looked at him in confusion, but kept quiet.

The next day went by so fast for Matt, he hadn't known what to expect. Pretty soon, it was time for his train to come. But unfortunately, the train was delayed so Matt's mother decided that he could stay until the following morning.

At around 12:00 in the morning, Matt was woken up to the sound of harsh knocking coming from the front door. So quietly, he tiptoed out of the room so he wouldn't wake Takeru, and walked in on his mother and father yelling at each other. He stood paralyzed, looking between them both.

"It's you're fault then, you damned bitch? Well then, you'll take the blame!" Matt's reflexes kicked in right there, seeing as his mother was about to be punched. He sprinted across the room the take the blow, and was sent hurtling into the wall. Natsuko gasped, and started to cry. Matt had gotten right back up, but his dad walked towards him, Natsuko trying to hold him back and failing.

Matt was at a loss of what to do. Finally, he just stood, waiting to see what would happen. His father yanked him up by the collar, bringing him so close to his face Matt had to wince at the permanent smell of alcohol on his breath. His father then slammed him into the wall, knocking the air out of him. His dad then stood over him.

"Get out. You better not let me see you around again, you little son of a bitch. If I do, I swear I'll kill you. And that pathetic rat of a brother of yours." Matt's eyes widened, and before he could stop himself, he had kicked his father in the groin hard, and broke into a run from the house. He heard a scream and stopped, looking back towards the house. His heart froze. He then turned, continuing to run.

Matt had been running for however his legs could hold. He slowed to a stop, panting. He coughed violently, falling to his knees. It was early into dawn. He had nowhere to go. Nowhere to run. He collapsed, before hearing a low rumble. He froze and looked up, just in time to see a bright light. And then, darkness.

"Yo, Raine, I think he's comin' around." Matt sat up, holding his head. "…Where am I?" Matt grumbled. A teen with extremely messed up gray hair and blue eyes stood over him. "Hey kid. You okay?" Raine sat back as Matt sat up, gripping his head.

"I…I think. I have a headache." He said, his voice quite a bit hoarse. Raine leaned forwards again. "Huh." He looked to his right. "Tai. Get this kid some water, will ya?" Matt looked over. A kid that didn't look much older than him sat at a table, his head lying on his arms. He then looked up, nodding. "Y-Yes s-sir." He said, slipping out of the chair. Matt frowned. "Why does that kid stutter like that?" He asked. Raine just sighed. "Tai, I said you could call me Raine. Please." Raine then turned to Matt.

"Oh. This place. Tai was found lying on a street side like you. He apparently was almost killed by his mother. He's uh…a sexual abuse victim." Matt's eyes widened. "Oh…that's horrible." Matt said. Raine frowned. "So…what happened to you? What's your name, kid?" Raine frowned as Matt tilted his head.

"I…can't remember."

* * *

FM: So, tell me. Trash or Continue? 


	3. Chapter 3

FM: Uh...next chapter? Um...I now know where I'm going with this! I don't own Digimon!

* * *

"I-I heard about h-how y-you were f-found...I'm really s-sorry." Tai said, setting the glass of water onto the table next to Matt. Matt tilted his head. "They haven't told me." He said plainly, reaching for the water. He winced and drew his arm back, a regretful look on his face. 

"Y-You were h-hit by a c-car." Tai said, sitting next to the couch Matt laid on. Matt frowned. "I was...? Could I have amnesia? That might be why I can't remember..." Tai only shrugged. "M-Maybe." He said quietly.

* * *

"...Where am I?" Blue eyes scoured the house as Takeru tried to collect where he was. The house wasn't familiar. "You're livin' with me now." Takeru froze, looking over. His father sat in a chair across from him, his arms draped lazily across his chest. Takeru's eyes widened. "No! You hurt Matt. You hurt him! I'm not trusting you!" Takeru backed off, staring at the man as he stood. 

"Fine. Have it your way."

* * *

"So, tell me about this place again?" Matt sat on the floor across from Raine, who was juggling some apples. He then paused, all but one falling to the floor. The one he caught, however, he took a bite out of and threw it over his shoulder. He shrugged. 

"This place, eh...? Huh. Well, me and my friend Davis—he's at school right now—hold this place for kids who ran away from home. That means, you probably won't be staying once you recollect what you lost, kid." Raine said, crossing his hands in his lap.

"We are a team, me and these kids. What we have created, it's a group intent on helping those in need. Somewhat of a Robin Hood deal. We take kids in with family problems, and they pay us back by taking things from the greedy people in the next town. They've endangered our people; taking gas away, stuff like that. There's a lot of crime coming in because of those folks." Raine mumbled. Matt nodded.

"So you steal, right?" He asked. Raine frowned, leaning forwards. "I guess, if you want to be blunt about it. But it's entirely for fund. We send off extra money to homeless shelters and what not." Raine said. "Say, you don't have a name yet, kid..." He said. "We gotta name you for the period you're staying here."

"You do?" Matt asked. Raine nodded. "Yup. How about…Yama. You look kinda like one." Matt frowned. "Okay, that could work." He said, grinning. Raine nodded. "In that case, let me introduce you to the puppies in the kennel." Raine laughed at Matt's confused expression. "Heh, I mean the group members. You'll get used to my weird way with words, Yama. Trust me."

Matt could only nod. Raine got up, walking into the huge room conjoined to the room they were in, which Matt clearly suspected to be a Kitchen. The room they entered, however, looked like a huge bedroom. There was one boy who sat in a corner reading a book. Another kid that look like he was at least 12 sat at a table in the corner, drawing. A girl, who looked to be no older than the boy at the table—give or take a year or two—sat at the window seat, a frown on her face.

"Iz, Kenichi, Sora! Come meet the new kid!" Raine sat back, and Matt watched as the boy who was reading his book threw it down, standing. The boy at the table only nodded, pulling a few strands of blue hair out of his face. His eyes appeared the same color as his hair.

"The one at the table is blind." Raine informed. "His name is Kenichi, but we call him Ken for short. And this feisty rascal here is Izzy." Raine ruffled the boy's hair, and Matt swore the kid had glared daggers. He looked only about five for crying out loud! "This one, his parents used him for fighting." Raine said, nodding. The girl—Sora, was it? —Hadn't even looked up. She wore loose black Jeans and a black sleeveless hoodie, two black wristbands on her wrists. Matt frowned.

"The girl...she sure has a lot of scars..." He said quietly, looking at her arms. Raine shrugged. "That's Sora. She...she won't talk about what happened to her. Never had. She doesn't talk much either, so don't expect anything spontaneous from her." Raine said. "And you've already met Tai. He's nine. And...about Izzy. Don't make him mad. It'll lead to a very unwanted situation..." He said, frowning. Matt just nodded. "I'm gunna go back and talk to Tai..." He mumbled. Raine nodded. "Just come talk if you need anything!" He said, before disappearing out the back room.

"Y-You've really t-taken a l-liking t-to me, huh?" Tai asked, sitting on the floor with a game controller in his right hand. Matt walked up, sitting beside him. Tai jumped about four feet into the air, before settling. "I guess." Matt said. He frowned. "You still stutter…why?" Matt asked, tilting his head.

"H-Habit." Tai replied, setting the controller down. "I-I've gotten bet-ter, though. I-I used t-to be r-real bad." He said. "I-I couldn't e-even make full sent-ences…" He said, looking down at the floor. Matt frowned. "Well, that's okay. I just wondered." He said. Tai nodded. He then stretched back onto the carpet. "I h-hope I get t-to g-go get D-Davis with Raine t-today. Usually, s-someone is left h-here to w-watch out for i-intruders."

"Who usually stays here?" Matt asked, frowning. Tai sat up. "W-Well, usually I-Izzy." He said. Matt nodded. Tai then grinned. "Raine p-pays for m-me to t-take speech l-lessons, th-though!" He said happily. "S-so Hopefully, I-I'll get t-to talk n-normally soon!" Matt just smiled. No matter how much this kid had gone through, he seemed to pull out. They both looked up as Raine entered, looking around. He then raised his hands up to stretch, and Matt backed up a few feet. Raine frowned.

"What is it? Oh yeah, have you two seen my keys? I'll be leaving to go pick Davis up in a bit. …You wanna come, Yama?" Raine asked as Matt nodded.

"I'm fine. I just…I don't know why I did that." He said. "Is Tai coming too?" He asked. Raine shrugged. "I guess. I was going to have him watch the place, but…I guess I'll leave Sora in charge of it this time." He said. Matt and Tai both nodded.

When they made it to the school, Raine pulled out his headphones and blasted them as he waited for the three o'clock bell to ring. Once it did, Davis ran out across the sidewalk, jumping into the van and dropping his bag in the floorboard.

"Aw man, school was such a—Matt?" A kid that looked a few years younger than Raine glanced back at Matt, a confused look on his face. Matt looked around, before looking back at Davis. "Me?" He asked. Davis nodded. "Who else?" He frowned at Matt. "What're you doing here?" Matt raised an eyebrow. "I was coming with Raine…wait. Is Matt my name?" He asked. Davis's face expression changed to concern.

"Oh, shit…." He mumbled. Matt frowned. "What?" He asked. "You have amnesia…I wonder if your dad did it…" He said, his eyes narrowing. Matt started having a fit.

"What? What are you talking about? I want to know what you're talking about!" Matt yelled, his eyes darkening. Davis raised a hand. "Shush. I'll explain it to you when we get back to the house." He said. So, Matt was forced to wait.

"So, what is it?" Matt asked. They had arrived home and he was now in the bathroom, watching Davis brush his teeth. Davis gargled and spit, before turning. "Okay. I think your dad might've hurt you too bad this time." He said.

"What do you mean? I don't even know who my dad is! All I know is that Raine found me after I was hit by a car!" Matt said. "Well…what if your dad—,"

"What are you talking about? What _about _my dad?!" Matt asked, clearly on the edge of being pissed. "You're dad abused you! There, are you happy?" Davis instantly regretted what he had said. Matt just froze, his gaze clouding over. Davis's gaze widened, before he poked his head into the hall.

"Raine! Call 911! Matt's going into a coma!"


	4. Chapter 4

FM: ...Shoot me. I don't own Digimon. Sorry for the short chapter, though...It's three o'clock in the morning, folks. I need rest.

* * *

"Ugh…Where…where I am..?" Matt was sure he wasn't in a house. Wait…it was…a hospital? He coughed, before Davis showed up in his line of vision.

"Man, I thought you were a goner! You've been out of it for a week!" He said, sitting back on his chair. Matt yawned, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He then stopped.

"A week?" He asked, his eyes widening. Davis nodded.

"Yeah…" He didn't get to finish as Matt jumped up, forgetting about the wires connected to him and wincing.

"Argh! I left Takeru to that sickout!" Matt said, trying to pull the wires out of his arm. Davis jumped up to stop him.

"No! You can't just leave!" He said, frowning. Matt frowned also.

"But Davis! My dad—he'll hurt him! I need to get him! Before he's hurt!" Matt cried, still trying to tug at the wires. It then came loose, and Matt yelped as blood started collecting where the IV had been ripped out. He then grabbed his clothes, before hurrying to the window and jumping out. Davis ran over, just in time to see Matt hit the ground on his feet and taking off in a run.

"How…that was a twelve story drop…" Davis said, confused. No human could have survived that…unless they had a power. Davis narrowed his eyes, before taking off out of the room.

"Raine!"

--

'_Come on… where's the stupid street…? No…something tells me he'd be at _my _house…' _Matt growled. He then ran for the train station, before finally realizing he had no money. He looked around, before silently sneaking up on a passing man, reaching into his back pocket and pulling his wallet out. He looked inside, finding a five, two ten, a twenty, and two one hundred dollar bills. He pulled the two hundreds out, before subtly dropping the wallet on the ground and running off. No one would notice…

'_Since when was I so good at sneaking…?'_ He wondered, before shaking his head. That didn't matter. Takeru mattered! Lord knew what his dad was doing to him… He didn't even want to think about it. He ran up to the ticket booth, holding the money up. "I need a train ticket." He said, his tone urgent. The woman frowned at him, taking the money from him. She then pushed a button, a ticket popping out of the hole. She went to hand it to him, but stopped.

"Little boy, your arm is bleeding…" She said, "Maybe you should have it—"

"No time!" Matt said, grabbing the ticket and running for the train. He jumped in, taking a seat and finally pulling his sleeve up to look at his injury. Blood was running all over his arm. He winced, pulling his sleeve down again. He had received several glances, but tried not to return them. It was a full three hours before the train stopped. When it did, Matt ran off and down the street again. Come on, where was the house…? He came to a stop in front of the said house, his mouth falling agape as he ran up the steps.

"Takeru!" He yelled. The kid was curled into a ball bawling his eyes out. He had quite a few bad scratches and bruises too. Matt's eyes narrowed, before picking his brother up and heading away from the house. He had made it to the end of the driveway when a strangely familiar car drove up.

"Matt, get in!" Davis said, opening the car door. Matt, not knowing what else to do, got into the car as he was told. He took the Jacket Raine offered him, but wrapped it around Takeru instead.

"We have to get him to a hospital. He…My dad…that bastard…he…" Matt couldn't bring himself to form a sentence. He felt the air around him grow heavy, and Davis looked back at him.

"Raine…" Davis felt Matt's forehead, instantly pulling his hand away. "Get them both to a hospital. Matt hasn't fully recovered." He said, taking a look at his arm. "And the IV that he took out…the wound looks like it's getting infected." He said. Matt had passed out several seconds before. Raine just nodded, turning the car around. Tai looked over at Matt, his gaze holding concern.

"A-Are…Are they gunna be o-okay?" He asked. Davis gave him a look and shrugged.

"I dunno, Tai. Matt's in pretty bad shape, and Takeru looks like he's going to get pneumonia." Davis said sadly. Tai sat back.

"Wh-at type o-of a b-bastard leaves their k-kid outside I-in th-this kind of w-weather?" Tai asked. It was now pouring rain and it was getting dark.

"Bastards. Exactly as you said, Tai." Davis said, turning to look out the window. His thoughts were focused elsewhere. What had happened to Takeru's mother? They had gone by the house, but it ended up leading them here… Davis was getting very nervous. Just what was going on. He then turned to Raine. "Matt…he…I think he's getting a curse himself." Davis said. Raine looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" He asked, quickly looking back to the road.

"He…He has a new ability… He's almost catlike, but stronger. He survived jumping from the twelfth floor of a fourteen-floor building! That's not normal! Tai ended up with the power to see the future in his dreams. Izzy can control fire. And Sora! She turns anything she touches to Ice! And Ken can see, actually _see _a person's personality just by touching their hands!" Davis fell quiet as Raine tensed.

"…The building I arranged has that effect. I too have a power. If you fail to remember how long I've been alive." Raine said.

"Yes, I remember. Sorry, Raine. I'm just… a little confused..." Davis mumbled. Raine sighed, pulling over past an interstate.

"We'll get home late. I'll drop these two off at the hospital. Takeru's going to have to stay with us

now. He's been exposed to Matt while he's developed his power. Takeru will have one also. I have a feeling it'll be bad, though." Raine said gravely. Tai sat up.

"D-Davis, c-can you t-tell me the s-story again?" He asked, perching on the edge of his seat to look into Davis's mirror. Davis rolled his eyes.

"Alright. It started way back. I mean way back. I didn't know that Raine was a Pestigol. Those… They're beings with a certain power. Only one power, though. It's now that if you have a bond from someone, or even come in full contact with a Pestigol… You are instantly tainted. You're stuck as one…for life." He said. Tai just nodded.

"I…s-still don't g-get it." He muttered, leaning back in his seat.

"You're not supposed to." Raine answered icily, pulling the car to the other lane. It was now…pitch black outside. Tai scooted a little closer to Matt and Takeru, closing his eyes. He did _not _like the dark.

"We'll be there in an hour." Raine said, pulling onto yet another interstate. Tai just sighed. It was going to be a very, very long ride. Especially if Raine was driving….


	5. Chapter 5

FM: Well guys, I'm updating again. I meant to update months ago, but...stuff has been getting in the way, I guess you could say. I don't own Digimon, so...you can use your imagination.

* * *

The hospital ride came all to soon for the bunch

The hospital ride came all to soon for the bunch. Tai seemed a bit nervous, pacing inside the waiting room. Raine was conversing quietly with Davis, but Davis's expression was grim. Tai suddenly stopped. "Raine!" He shouted. Raine stood up as a doctor came out. "Who is here for Matt Ishida and Takeru Takaishi?" The man asked. Davis stood. "I am, sir." He said. Raine blinked, sitting back down. The doctor sighed. "Can I...maybe...talk to you in private?" He asked. Davis paled. "Uh..sure..." He mumbled concernedly, disappearing through the doors.

"Well, we discovered a mutation in their DNA. It used to be in everyone's DNA, but we haven't seen it in at least 300 years. We didn't think any trace of it was still in existence. As you know, the four bases in DNA are Adenine, Thiamine, Cytosine, and Guanine. But there were six before. The missing bases are called Dianine and Bilosine."

"Dianine? Bilosine?" Davis asked innocently. Inside, though, he rolled his eyes. He went through this with every doctor. "Yes. It's a mutation that sends different information in place of Adenine when it's...if you will, dysfunctional." He explained. Davis nodded. "Yeah, I've heard." He said. The doctor nodded back somberly. "Well, it's the younger one I'm worried about. The Bilosine is replacing the Adenine." He said. Davis's eyes widened. It was his turn to be shocked.

"Wh..what?" He choked out. He shook his head. "I've gotta discuss this with my friend real quick." He said, heading back over before the doctor could stop him. He went straight up to Raine, making sure Tai didn't hear. "We've got a...problem. CF4." He said. Raine's gaze widened. "No! I thought we had that prevented!" He said. "Obviously not..." Davis mumbled. Tai looked over at them at Raine's outburst.

"Wh-What i-is it, R-Raine?" Tai seemed to feel the tense air that immediately gathered and took a step back. Davis turned to him. "Don't worry about it." He said. He went back over to the doctor. "May I go see them?" He asked. The doctor considered his options, before finally nodding. "Five minutes." He said. Davis nodded, scooting off to the room. When he entered, Matt was sitting cross-legged on the bed, staring off into space. Davis waved a hand in front of his face.

"Matt," He said, "you have to get Takeru and yourself out of here. Go through the window! If the doctors find out anymore..." Davis took a deep breath. "They'll want to experiment on you two." He said. Matt frowned. "But we're on a ten story floor!" He said. "Matt...I hate to tell you this...but the room you jumped from in the last hospital was 12 floors. You'll land on your feet." Davis said. Matt blinked. "Wh...what...? I...no, that's not possible! A person can't jump from that high!" Matt said, biting his lip. Davis placed his hands on Matt's shoulders.

"Listen to me, Matt! Listen! It's for you and Takeru! If you don't leave, you'll be putting the both of you in great danger!" He said. That did it. Matt swallowed his fear right then and there, nodding. "I'll do it for Takeru." He said. Davis nodded, moving over to the younger boy and starting to unhook his IV.

"He's still passed out. Good." He handed Takeru over to Matt, the blond taking a hold on the boy and going to the window. Davis set to work on opening it, while talking instructions to Matt.

"Okay, when you reach the 4th intersection over by Atekano Parkway, you'll see a blue sign on the left pointing towards Kyoto. Take a bus there," Davis pulled out a couple of hundred dollars from his pocket, "Here's for food or anything you guys need. But Matt...Be sure to bring your brother back...no matter what. You hear?" Matt nodded silently as he stepped out onto the ledge. He tightened his grip on Takeru, before looking back at Davis.

"I...really hope you know what you're saying..." Matt muttered, before turning back to the drop in front of him. He then jumped.

* * *

"You made him what?" Raine was fuming as he pulled out of the hospital. "You sent a regular Pestigol with an Archanen Pestigol! Do you know how dangerous this is?! _Do _you, Daisuke Motomiya?!" Davis flinched. "Of course I know! But...they know each other, so I was hoping…"

"Knowing each other won't help anything!" Raine insisted, grunting, "If I trusted that how they are related would stop the Takeru boy I wouldn't be fretting!" He said, slamming on the brakes as they came to a red light. Tai involuntarily whimpered. "E-ever-y things g-going to be o-okay, r-right?" He asked quietly. Davis sighed. "Tai…I can't answer that." He said stiffly. Tai frowned. "Y-Your t-tone doesn't sound very c-c-convincing…" He said. Davis just shook his head, diverting his gaze to the window. Wherever Matt and Takeru was, Davis only hoped they were all right.

* * *

"Two ice cream cones, please." Matt came back over to the bench where he had left Takeru. Takeru shivered slightly and nodded his thanks, taking the dessert. "Matt…? I don't feel very good…how did I get here? All I remember is…" Takeru shook his head, tears forming. "I-I don't kn-know what he d-did to me…" He said. Matt nodded. "I know exactly what he did. And it was wrong." He said. He was half afraid of what Takeru was going to turn out like. Tai…he had suffered the same fate, but…It was a hint different in this case. Matt sat next to Takeru, frowning in thought.

"Matt…? I feel kind of funny…" Takeru dropped the ice cream cone he was holding, an odd look on his face, as he looked over to Matt. "Why are you black and purple, Matt?" He asked, his voice distant. His eyes were on him, but his gaze wasn't focused at all. He then shook his head, looking down at the fallen treat. "Oh…sorry…" He mumbled. Matt shook his head, "It's fine. We gotta head back to the compound." He said. He took Takeru's hand, leading him off down the street.

* * *

"Okay, I think that we can work this out. It looks like you will be staying…for two reasons. Takeru can stay for now if we keep a close eye on him." Raine was talking to Matt in private that night. "It seems neither one of you have places to go and you are both abuse victims." He said. Matt nodded silently. "I wonder why Davis didn't bring you here in the first place." He mumbled. Davis poked his head around the corner.

"I didn't know their mother was dead! She was a kind woman! It's that bastard of a father that I didn't like. And he's my blood uncle!" Davis then pulled his head back into the room he was in to aide Takeru. Matt sighed. "What's wrong with Takeru?" Matt asked, his gaze firm on Raine. Raine went to answer him when Davis called out. "Raine! You'll never believe this! Get in here!" He said. He sounded almost…excited to Matt. Matt and Raine glanced at each other, before getting up and heading to the room.

"What is it?" Raine asked, pulling himself under the sheet that made the door to the clinic room. Davis grinned. "He's not tainted! Izzy and me did a brain scan over him and he showed no darkness. But…" He trailed off. "But…?" Raine repeated. Davis pointed to Takeru's eyes. Matt looked also, and he almost fell back from shock.

"His eyes are black.." Raine mumbled. Takeru backed off a bit. "I'm scared…" He said. Matt jumped a bit. "Don't be scared, it's nothing bad." He said quickly. Raine moved to crouch in front of Takeru. "Take-Chan, what color am I?" He asked. Takeru looked at him, before swallowing. "You're… Orange…" He said, his eyes going back to blue. Raine stood up. "Astounding! He can see aura's at this age!" He said. Matt raised an eyebrow. "What's so great about that?" He asked dryly. Raine scratched his head.

"Well, we had a kid in our group who was able to see aura's a few years ago…but he was a few years older than me. I was only thirteen at the time. His name was Takuya. He was a real jerk at times. He was fifteen years old, and he was the one who kept up with us. He was the leader I guess you could say. He was the first Pestigol to ever come around. He was a real mystery. He could see auras due to a freak accident in DNA. But one day…He died…" He trailed off, not bothering to explain why. Matt accepted that.

"Well, you kids better be getting to bed. Matt, there are some extra blankets for you two in the closet next to the front door," Raine said, yawning, "if you guys need anything, me and Davis will be upstairs." He said. "You guys will sleep in the beds in the left upper corner, all right? And beware, Izzy likes to snore." Raine then waved, before passing Davis and heading upstairs into the attic. Matt frowned. "Why do you guys get the bad room and give us the good room?" He asked. Davis shrugged. "These kids need better than we do. You are all young; we can take care of ourselves."

"Huh…okay, goodnight, then. Come on, Take-Chan." Matt grabbed Takeru's hand, having the younger boy hop off of the couch he was sitting upon to follow him. As they entered the bedroom, sure enough, they were greeted by snoring. Matt and Takeru laughed quietly, Matt pushing Takeru towards his bed. "You can go, alright?" He asked. Takeru nodded, going over to the bed and climbing in. "You…are going to be okay, right Matt?" Takeru asked timidly. Matt nodded.

"Of course, Take-Chan. I'm more worried about you." He then frowned. "I'll be in, in a bit, okay?" He nodded to Takeru before the boy could ask, slipping out the window. Takeru frowned, laying down and staring at the ceiling until he finally drifted off.

* * *

"So what brings you out here? It's kind of cold, you know." Matt appeared on the roof, studying the figure who was sitting no less than ten feet away. "…Ah, the silent type." Matt said coyly, sitting next to the person.

"Go away." The quiet voice came, almost catching Matt off guard. "But whatever for? I've done nothing wrong." He said, half sarcasm in his voice. The girl shoved him away. "I said go away." She said. Matt shrugged. "Fine. I don't want to know you, either." He mumbled. "I'm Matt."

"Sora," Sora looked at him, "but you should already know who I am." She muttered. "True," Matt nodded, "but I wanted to meet the Ice Queen in person, you know?" He only laughed as Sora glared at him. "I'm sorry Sora," He said sincerely, "but…I just came up to see what you were doing." He said. Sora rolled her eyes. "How did you get up here?" She asked.

"Window." Matt said, grinning again. Sora nodded, before standing. "I think you should go to bed. How old are you, seven?" She asked. "I'm fixing to be nine in February." Matt replied dryly. Sora blinked. "Oh…you're awful scrawny for a nine year old. Pretty smart too. But then again, abuse can do that to you." Sora shrugged and stood. "I'm going inside to read. You really should go to bed." She then made her way past him, jumping from the roof and swinging in through the window. Matt followed her with ease. They both went to their own beds, Matt deciding that sleep was the best thing he could do.

* * *

"Breakfast, rats!" Matt sat up and groaned, before yawning. He went to get up, but found he couldn't. He blinked and looked down, seeing Takeru passed out next to him. He smiled slightly, before shifting to get out of the younger boy's grasp. However, Takeru felt him move, his eyes fluttering open.

"Ma…tt?" He yawned, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?" He asked. "Seven thirty-five." Matt replied, ruffling the kid's head. Takeru nodded sleepily, heading off to the bathroom. Matt took off towards the Kitchen, where Izzy was teaching Ken a little Math and Tai was talking animatedly to Davis. Sora…

"Where's Sora?" Matt asked, frowning. "She went out to eat breakfast. She doesn't usually eat Raine's cooking. She says it's not "real" food." Davis said, shaking his head slightly. "I hope you like eggs." Raine said. Matt nodded. "Got any salsa?" He asked. Davis raised an eyebrow. "Salsa? You're crazy. I'd go for some soy sauce." He said. Tai raised his hand. "Me t-too! Me toooahhhh!" He then fell off of the chair he was standing on. "Ouch…" He groaned, sitting up again. Davis laughed. "You okay, buddy?" He asked, helping Tai up. "Yeah!" Tai stuck his tongue out. Matt grinned. "You must be in a good mood. Not stuttering as bad." He said.

"Tai, stop standing on the chairs or you'll hurt yourself." Raine said lightly, putting a plate of eggs in front of him. Tai blinked at them and looked up at Davis as he was handed some soy sauce. "I w-w-want some t-too…" He said, crossing his arms. "I'll put red pepper on them if you keep complaining." Raine said, laughing as he put some soy sauce down in front of Tai also. Tai pouted, starting to eat. Matt laughed. "Now. Salsa, right?" Raine asked. "Yeah." Matt said. Raine nodded and handed Matt the eggs, before giving him a bottle of Salsa and grabbing both Ken and Izzy by their ears. "Enough schooling, you two," He said, pulling them over to that table, "you both have learned enough already." He then set eggs down in front of them, handing them both a few packets of Ketchup. "Really? But…" Izzy sighed and left it. He glared at Raine, beginning to eat.

"Good morning…" Takeru came up behind Matt, stretching. "Eggs? Huh…" He looked over at Davis. "Hey Davis, why are you here anyway?" He asked. "Uh…your cousin Jun wanted me here." Davis said. Takeru frowned, but nodded. Raine looked over at him. "Don't you like eggs, Takeru?" He asked. Takeru nodded. "Yeah. But…I was kind of hoping for donuts." He said. "Con Sora into giving you a few." Raine replied, smirking at said girl as she flipped him off on her way upstairs. "She looks kind of scary though…" Takeru said.

"You sure like the words 'kind of', Takeru." Davis said, smiling. Takeru blinked. "Oh…" He turned, before heading off upstairs after Sora. Izzy scrunched his face up. "That kid looks like you." He said, pointing to Matt. Matt frowned. "He's my brother." He said. Izzy's eyes widened, quickly diverting his gaze to the eggs again. Matt sighed.

"So what are we going to do today?"

* * *

FM: So what do you guys think? Read and review, please!


	6. Chapter 6

The answer to Matt's question was answered fairly soon

The answer to Matt's question was answered fairly soon. "I'm having Davis take you midgets to the Park…because I have business to attend to." He said. Takeru cheered as he came back down with a donut. "Yes! I love the Park!" He said. Davis grinned. "Okay! Tai, we're heading to the one over where you live, okay?" He said. Tai nodded. "O-okay..." He said. He slipped off of the chair, grabbing Matt's hand. "Y-you want to g-g-go out to the c-c-car?" He asked. Matt nodded. "Yeah!" They then headed off, Takeru following with a slightly darkened look on his face. Davis grinned. Jealousy. It was hilarious.

"I pick that one!" Takeru was already heading to one of the swings to play. Matt rolled his eyes. "I can't believe that after what happened that kid still has his innocence." Matt said. Tai looked at him. "Wh-What happened?" He asked, his already present frown dropping. Matt shrugged.

"Same thing that happened to you." He said as Tai gasped. "That's…the o-only k-k-k-kid that I've seen come out ok-kay!" He said, his eyebrows creasing. Matt only shook his head. "He's a mystery. I'm sure it's happened on more occasions than one. I really hope he doesn't remember what happened when he gets older…" Hr bit his lip. "Takeru didn't have a clue…that must be why he wasn't affected…but still…" Matt looked off a bit distantly.

"Matt! Come push me! Please?" Matt rolled his eyes. "Sure, Takeru!" He said. He shuffled over, starting to push Takeru. Tai turned his gaze away long enough to see a pair of blue-headed boys making their way down the sidewalk. He raised an eyebrow, only growing even more confused as they made their way over to a somewhat familiar looking brown headed girl. Tai made his way closer to hear their conversation.

"Tell her, Kouichi. Tell her that we can't play." The older boy stood behind the younger one, a slight glare on his face. The younger one seemed to be…spacing, almost. "I'm sorry Kari. But Kouji said I can't play anymore." Tai blinked. The tone sounded nearly dead. Kari frowned. "But I thought you guys were gunna play hopscotch with me…" She said, slightly disappointed. Tai frowned. Kari? That name sounded familiar. The younger boy turned, his gaze now back in focus as tears collected and poured from his eyes. "Why'd you do that, Kouji…?" He asked, walking up to the older boy and hitting him in the arm.

"Because, I said you can't play with her." Kouji said snidely. Kouichi's gaze dropped. Raine came up behind Tai, nearly scaring him. "Pestigols." He said. Tai jumped, turning around. "Wh-What?" He asked fearfully. "Pestigols. That boy…he can control minds." He said. "R-Raine…I think…I know that girl…" He said, pointing to the girl that had been called Kari.

"I don't remember anything about her, but…she looks like my mom…" He said. Raine nodded. "Maybe you should go and introduce yourself." He said. Tai nodded. "I think I w-will." He said, before very subtly slipping off. Raine shook his head fondly. Kids. They could come with all sorts of mysteries…

Davis came up next to Raine. "What are you going to do about them?" He asked. "Hm…?" Raine asked, his gaze a little distant. "Pestigols. They don't look like they have a home, either." Davis mumbled. "We can't do anything. We leave them be." He said. However, he caught the younger boy Kouichi, staring at him. Raine stared back, a slight smirk making it's way to his face. Then Kouichi approached him.

"Um…you…seem…odd…" Kouichi said slowly. Raine nodded. "I may be." He said, shrugging. "So, kid. What can you do? That's pretty crafty, what your brother can do." He said. Kouichi frowned. "What are you…talking about…?" He asked. "Well," Raine paused, "I see that you two are Pestigols." He said. Kouichi gulped. "Y-You…know…" He mumbled, looking down. "I'm Raine." Raine introduced himself, holding a hand out. "Raine?!" The kid looked up. "Raine Tachibato?" He asked, a little too loudly. He saw Kouji's head snap up as Raine covered his mouth. "Easy kid, not so loud!" He said, looking around. Kouji had already started over.

"Oh shit."

"Hi, my n-name's T-Tai." Tai sat in front of Kari, a sort of nervous look on his face. "Hi. I'm Kari." The girl grinned at him. "Where a-are your p-p-parents?" Tai asked, looking around. "I don't have any. Why do you stutter like that, Tai?" Kari asked curiously. "U-um…I…I don't r-really want t-to ta-lk about it." He said nervously. Kari nodded. "You look like my brother," Kari said, "he died right after I was born, though. Momma said that he ran away after my dad punished him and he got ran over by a car." She said. "But I have pictures of him." She nodded. Tai lowered his gaze. Oh. So he did know her. "We-ll…what h-happened t-to your m-mom?" He asked.

"She died of cancer." Kari said. "So where a-are you st-staying?" Tai asked. "Nowhere actually. I live with those two boys over there." She said, pointing to the blue-headed boys. "Their mom isn't very nice, but it's somewhere to sleep." She said. Tai nodded. "Um…K-Kari…d-do you really th-think…your brother is d-d-dead?" He asked, a little upset at the fact. Kari shrugged. "I'm not sure. They never recovered a body, so I'm hoping…"

"C-can you r-read?" Tai asked. Kari nodded. "Yeah. I was able to read when I was three." She said proudly. Tai nodded. "Well… Let me show you something." He said. He pulled a card out of his pocket, handing it to her. She read over it, her eyes widening. "No way…you have the same last name as me!" She said. "Then that must mean…"

"I think s-so." Tai said. "Wa-s your mom's n-name M-Minako?" He asked. Kari nodded. "Yeah." She said. Tai nodded. "I-I thought s-so." He said. Kari's gaze widened. "Wow…I…I don't know how to react…" She said. "I know…" Tai nodded. Usually reunions were happy. It was maybe because he didn't know her all that well…and neither she know him.

"Kari…I'm g-glad I found out ab-bout you at least." Tai said, nodding to her. Raine jogged up. "Hey, Kari is it? I'm taking Tai here, but I was wondering if…you'd like to come stay with him for a while. I have the twin boys…Kouji and Kouichi?" He inquired. Kari nodded. "I think that'll give us some time to get to know each other." She said. Tai nodded along with her. "Yeah." He said, grinning. Raine stood. "Come on, then." He said, nodding to them.

"Got any six's?" Takeru was playing Go Fish with Kari as Raine and Davis went over details. Matt sat across the table with Kouji and Kouichi, but Kouji didn't appear too happy. Just then, Kouichi sneezed and Raine blinked as he lost a foot off of his height. "…" He sighed, rubbing his temples as he continued talking to Davis. However, Davis was staring at the apparent height change. Raine paused.

"What? Stop gawking, Davis. You know I was short." He fumed, crossing his arms. Kouichi flinched slightly. "Sorry, Raine, I…" "It's fine." Raine said, standing. Kouichi nodded, before placing his fingers to Raine's forehead. A zap of electricity went through, but Raine grew a foot shorter again. "Kouichi, just stop trying to fix it." Raine said, as he was now eye level with the kid. Kouichi drew back. "I'm…sorry…I haven't really learned control..." He said. "It'll wear off." Raine said, frowning. Davis coughed.

"Um…right. But, now we have our book full. It's best we all get some sleep for the night." Davis stood up, but Kouji stopped him. "Wait. So where are we going to sleep again?" He asked. "Whichever beds are empty. I'll show you." Matt replied, sliding off of his chair. Raine did as well, shuffling upstairs to his room. Matt called over his shoulder. "Takeru, Kari. Bedtime." He said. Takeru stood.

"Aw…why?" He asked, frowning. Matt didn't answer him. Instead, he took both Kouji and Kouichi down the hallway, going to show them where they would sleep. Takeru sighed. "Well…Come on, Kari…" He mumbled, holding a hand out. Kari nodded, and they both headed off after the trio.

Around five thirty, Matt awoke to a feeling that something wasn't right. He looked around, seeing Takeru's bed empty. He frowned visibly, before slipping out of bed and heading out of the room. He had paused outside of the kitchen, hearing a strange noise. Carefully, he looked out around the corner—and nearly choked. Takeru was being pinned down on the floor, a man with a gun in his hand pressing it to Takeru's ribcage. Matt pulled back. What was going on? He took a silent breath, slipping into the Kitchen and getting one of the huge butcher knives from the cabinet. He then tiptoed up behind the man, debating on what to do. He didn't have to wait long. The man started to turn his head, and that's when Matt brought the knife down on the man's neck, knocking him off of Takeru. Takeru cried out, backing away several feet and bringing his hands up to his face.

"Matt, stop!" He yelled, starting to cry. However, it was in vain. Matt couldn't stop himself as he kept attacking the man with full blows to any part of the skin he could get to. A few minutes later the light came on and Raine froze at the scene, Tai and Davis behind him.

"Matt!" Raine made his way over to Matt, pulling him off of the guy. Matt finally stopped, but Raine could tell that the man had died several moments before. Matt finally realized what he had done as his gaze came back into focus. He slowly looked up at Raine, but Raine was already wide-awake and shocked at the scene. "I-I'm sorry…" Matt said. He didn't know what he had done. He had just seen Takeru being hurt and reacted. Takeru took a deep but shaky breath and scooted forwards, feeling an intense burning sensation settle in his lungs. "Matt, I…" He trailed off. Raine finally recovered.

"Davis, call the police. Tai, follow me to get Matt cleaned up. Takeru…come with me." Raine stepped forwards and picked Takeru up, heading to the clinic room as Tai took Matt's hand to follow after him. Matt didn't try to resist, staring at the man on the floor. He didn't recognize him, but he was pretty sure the guy had some connection to his father. Tai took him in silence, his mind trying to process the situation. It was harsh. Tai took Matt into the bathroom to get him cleaned up while Raine tried to calm Takeru down.

"Takeru, please tell me what happened…" Raine said. Takeru looked like he was hyperventilating. "I-I went t-to g-get a drink and th-that guy came up a-and grabbed m-me…" He said. "H-He said that if I-I d-didn't tell him where d-daddy was, h-he was going t-to k-k-kill me!" Takeru went into hysterics again as he backed away from Raine, curling into a ball at the end of the table. Raine frowned as Davis came in, followed by a policeman. "Sir, would you mind explaining to me what happened?" The policeman asked, looking over to Raine. Raine nodded.

"I can only relay to you what this little guy told me. But from what I heard, some guy that had a possible connection to his father came in and threatened to kill him if he didn't tell him where his Father was. I'm guessing that his brother happened to wake up around then and went to go see where his brother had gone and had seen it…he attacked the man and killed him." Raine explained. "How old is the kid's brother?" The policeman asked, taking out a pad of paper and a pen. "Eight." Raine replied. The man stopped. "Eight, eh? This has to be the first time an eight year old has been involved in a homicide." He said, putting his pad away. Raine frowned as Tai and Matt emerged from the bathroom. The police looked up. "We're you the one who killed the man?" He asked. Matt took a slight step back.

"Y-Yes…" He mumbled, looking down. "I didn't want him to kill Takeru. I would do it again if I had to." He said, looking up. "Pretty brave for an eight year old." The policeman stood up. "Well…there isn't much we can do but declare it a homicide. We can't press charges against a child, as you should know." The man said. Matt nodded. The man then turned, nodding to Raine and making his way out. Davis sighed dramatically. "Now that _that _is over…" He grinned half-heartedly. "Sleep?" He asked. Matt shook his head. "You think I would be able to?' He asked bitterly. Takeru slipped off of the table and wandered over to Matt. "It's okay Matt, really. You were only protecting me…" He said, tears forming in his eyes. "I don't want you to feel bad…" He mumbled.

"I wish I could believe you, Takeru…"


	7. Chapter 7

FM: Oh my GOD! This chapter was a blast and a heartbreak to write, guys!

Matt: Are you going to tell them?

FM: Um..well, actually guys...there is one more thing...

Takeru: I wouldn't let them wonder...

FM: Alright! Guys, as much as I hate to say it...THIS IS THE LAST CHAPTER OF HOLLOW AND ALONE.

Matt: She had a very fun time writing it, but every good thing must come to and end.

Takeru: Yeah! FluffMistress does not own Digimon!

* * *

The next few days were spent in misery. Everyone had developed a case of grumpiness, and Davis had plans to leave for the week. Of course, Raine was angry, but understood that Davis had to go back to his family on certain weekends. Before Raine had become the leader, Takuya and Davis had made a plan. Takuya had written a fake letter saying that Davis had been accepted into a private school. Of course his mom had been skeptical, but agreed. His sister Jun knew the truth, but decided to let him slide. So, on certain weeks or weekends, he had to return to his house so his mom wouldn't find out he had been living nearly 30 minutes away.

"Matt…I don' wanna get up yet…" Takeru rolled off of the bed as Matt shoved him off. "Sorry Takeru, but Raine says we have to get up early. He wants to make sure all of us have a chance to say goodbye to Davis." Takeru was suddenly wide-awake. "What? Why is he leaving?" He asked. Matt sighed and explained it to him, and Takeru calmed down. "We need to wake Izzy up." Matt said, pointing to the sleeping redhead. Takeru nodded.

Five minutes later, Matt and Takeru both ran like hell out of the bedroom, Izzy hot on their trail with a look to kill. Raine watched the scene, gawking. Finally Matt and Takeru stopped next to Tai, and bumped into him. This caused a chain reaction of Tai stumbling into Ken, Ken into Kouji, Kouji into Sora, Sora into Kouichi, and Kouichi into Kari. They all turned glares on Izzy. Izzy blinked. "Uh...uh…" He trailed off, looking down at his feet.

"All right, then. Everyone, as you know, Davis will be leaving us for the weekend. I know we all hope that he will arrive at his home safely. Now. Does anyone have anything they want to tell Davis before he leaves?" Raine asked. Everybody was silent. "Alright then. Group hug!" Raine said. The sea of little bodies surrounded Davis as they all tried to hug him at once. "Oh boy..." Davis muttered. Once the hug was all over, Tai moved over to Raine. Raine frowned and looked down at him. "I-It's t-today, isn't it?" Tai asked, his tone sad. "Yes, it is. I'm sorry, Tai. I'll try anything I can to help." Raine said.

"Alright everyone. Tai and I will be taking Davis to the train, and I'll be taking Tai to therapy. Sora, watch the kids, I will be back. I rented some movies or you guys to watch on the TV in the basement. Sorry I anyone wanted horror," he paused to shoot a pointed look at Izzy, "but they are all Disney movies. Now. I will be back in a few hours." Raine headed out with Tai and Davis, and Sora glanced at the munchkins.

"Okay brats. Everyone to the basement, now." She went to the Kitchen and opened the door, and everyone stampeded past her to get into the basement. Matt hung back a little though. "Look…sorry I kind of forced you to talk to me the other day…you seemed a bit pissed the other morning." Matt said. Sora rolled her eyes at him and pushed him into the basement. He lost his balance, starting to plummet down the stairs. He squeezed his eyes shut and screamed, waiting to feel contact with the stairs. However, it never came. He opened his eyes. He was off of the ground…

"Sorry." Sora said coldly. She picked him up and carried him down the stairs easily. Matt frowned as he was set down, scratching his head and going to sit next to Takeru. Takeru huddled closer to him, giving Kouji a strange look. The kid had an awful weird grin on his face. Matt glared at him, causing Kouji to cross his arms. A few minutes later, a cell phone went off. Everyone looked at Sora as she answered it. "Hold on." She said. She glared at them all and left upstairs, leaving them to their movie. About 20 minutes later, Matt stood. "Where are you going?" Ken asked, being the first to notice. "Sora…she hasn't returned…" Matt said Ken was fixing to reply when the door opened. "Guys! Guys, get out here!" Sora was yelling in panic. Matt went over to the stairs.

"The police are here, guys! Come on!" Matt yelled. One by one, everyone got up and moved upstairs. Kouichi was the last to get up. One police officer stepped up. "It seems that two children are being held here against their will. Matt Ishida, and Takeru Takaishi? Please come forward." Matt frowned. They were here by free will! "We're not kidnapped!" He said, stepping forward. Another policeman attempted to grab Takeru, but the boy slid under his legs and went to stand by Matt. "According to your father, you both went missing almost a month ago… The story that was published in the newspaper helped your dad find out where you were. Now, come with us."

* * *

"No! I don't want to leave!" Before Matt could run, a few police officers came in and grabbed him. One managed to get a hold of Takeru. "You can't do this!" Kari yelled. "Their our friends!" She said. The police officer ignored her. "Guys, take the kids. This place is going under investigation." The policeman nodded, starting to round the kids up. Once it seemed the place was empty, they left.

* * *

"Guys, we're home!" Raine yelled out into the empty house. "Where did they all go?" Raine wondered. Just then, Izzy came out from under the couch. "Raine! They took everyone!" Izzy threw himself at Raine, sheer panic in his eyes. Raine was taken aback by Izzys choice of emotion, but quickly got over it. "What? Who?" Tai looked around, a bit scared.

"A policeman! At first they only came to get Matt and Takeru to take them back to their home…but then they took everyone else! They have everyone!" Izzy broke down, starting to cry. Raine looked at Tai. "We better get moving." Raine said. He picked Izzy up and grabbed Tai's hand, heading out to the van. Once the two were buckled up, he was on his way to the police station.

* * *

"Matt, I don't wanna go home, I'm scared!" Takeru was crying. And Matt couldn't do a thing about it. "I know Takeru. We'll find a way out of this, alright?" Matt looked up as they pulled into the driveway. Hiroaki sat outside to meet them.

"Officer, I can't thank you enough for returning my boys to me." He actually looked normal. Matt had to take a second glance as the officer led them both from the car. "Well, I hope everything goes well, Mr. Ishida. If anything happens, call us back and we'll help as much as possible." Matt saw his father nod to the police officer, and also the angry look in his eye. He then grinned and pulled Takeru and Matt to him as the car pulled away.

As soon as it was out of sight, Hiroaki pushed them away. "Alright you two bastards. In the house, now."

* * *

"Raine!" Kouji, Kouichi, and Kari ran over to Raine as the male entered the station. A police officer walked up. "Do you have custody of these kids?" He asked. Raine nodded. "Yes sir. I run an…orphanage, kind of for abused children that have seeken refuge at my home." He replied. "Do you have a job?" "No sir." "Where do you get the money to feed them?"

"My father. Mr. Koromiko Tachibato." He answered. The policeman bowed. "I'm sorry sir, but it seems you have been convicted of Kidnapping." The man said. "Bullshit." Raine replied. "Excuse me?" Tai backed away as the man seemed to get angry. "I found the oldest one laying on the side of a highway with amnesia! When he remembered who he was a day later, he went back home to get his brother from their bastard of a father. I love these kids as if they were my own. Now if you have anything to say to that, I best be getting myself a lawyer." Raine said coldly.

"Well," The policeman considered Raine's words. "Fine. I'll see that an investigation is done on the Ishida house. By the way, how old are you, Mr. Tachibato?" The policeman asked. "21." Raine fibbed, biting back the urge to hit the man in the gut. "Very well. Take the children here and go." He said, waving his hand. Tai ran over to Kari, holding her close. "Tai!" Kari buried her head into Tai's shirt, starting to sob.

"A-Are you okay, K-K-Kari?" Tai asked. Kari nodded. "Mhm…" She mumbled. She was scared that she was going to be separated from the only real family she had.

* * *

"Are you done scrubbing the floors?" Hiroaki stood over Matt, crossing his arms. Matt glared up at him. "Whatever happened to, 'Get out. You better not let me see you around again, you little son of a bitch. If I do, I swear I'll kill you. And that pathetic rat of a brother of yours.' Hm?" Matt was purposely pushing the man's buttons. Hiroaki growled.

"Damn you. That was before I realized that I didn't have anyone to toss around." He said icily. He smirked. "It did some good." He said. Without warning, Matt jumped up in the blink of an eye and kicked Hiroaki in the groin, causing the man to groan in pain and fall over. Matt snorted. "That's got to change then, now doesn't it?" He asked. Takeru came out of the Kitchen with a washcloth.

"He's black and purple like you, Matt…" He said. His eyes had gone black. Matt looked up. "He's bad Takeru. Real bad." He then frowned. "Me? I'm black and purple?" He asked. Takeru nodded. "You're bad too…" He said distantly. Matt shook his head. Takeru then paused. "It's going red, big brother…" Takeru then shook his head, fainting. Matt ran over to him. "Takeru!" He yelled. He heard something behind him, and all he had time to see was something brown before everything went black.

* * *

Takeru winced as he sat up. He was in a white room. "Matt?" He asked. It was dark. "Yes Takeru…? Oh! Takeru! Davis!" The door opened a few moments later, illuminating Matt's painfully thin frame. "Davis, he's awake!" The light turned on and almost the whole crew filed in.

"Hey Takeru, how are you feeling?" Kari asked, setting a flower in his lap. "Okay I guess…" Takeru said quietly. "You really scared us!" Kouji said, giving Kouichi a strange look as the younger twin burst into tears. "Hm." He muttered. Takeru looked around. "Where…How…What happened?" He asked. Davis frowned. "You've been out for a month… We almost had to take you off of life support." He said. Takeru blinked. It couldn't have been that long!

"Where's Raine?" He asked. Davis's expression fell considerably. "Well…? Isn't he alright…?" Takeru asked. "Well…your dad was sued and sent to jail…him and Raine got into a fight three days after an investigation was done on your house. Matt only woke up a week ago…" He said. "Well, your dad is one strong bastard…Raine's in pretty bad condition for a Pestigol…" Davis muttered. "You mean there's a chance he'll die?" Takeru yelped. "Takeru, don't say that! You'll junk him!" Matt said. "Aw, Davis will do fine if Raine kicks the bucket." Izzy said flatly. Every gaze went to him and he coughed unnecessarily.

"Well," Ken interjected, "I'm sure he'll be okay." He said. Sora stood silent by the door, expression unreadable. Davis sighed. "Well, Ken. Let's go." He said. Ken only nodded, and they both left.

"Where are they going?" Takeru asked. "Ken has an operation, Takeru. They might have found a way to fix his eyes. He might get to see the world for the first time in a long, long time." Matt said. Just then, Tai came in with two trays of drinks, starting to pass them around. He then went over to Takeru and hugged him silently, grinning. Takeru blinked.

"Are you not talking anymore, Tai?" He asked. Tai grinned proudly and shook his head. Matt smirked. "He's not talking until Raine wakes up." He said. Takeru nodded. "Well guys." Sora spoke up finally, "I have to get you all home. Tai and Mat, stay. Everyone else, come. We can't stay here." She said. Matt waved to her, but she just ignored the gesture. Tai pulled out a pad and pencil and scribbled something down, handing it over.

"Jerk." Matt said, blushing madly and crumpling the paper up and throwing it at the brunette. Tai only smiled and dodged it. "Hey Takeru. Wanna go with us to visit Raine?" Matt asked. Takeru nodded. "Would I ever!" He said, hopping out of the bed. As they made their way down the hall, Takeru frowned. "What did that paper say to make you blush like that?" Matt paused.

"Something you won't know until you are 16 or older." Matt said, shaking his head. "Then why do you know it?" He pressed. Matt shrugged. "Oh, I don't know." He said passively. Tai went nuts as they entered the ICU. He slammed his hand down on the receptionist button.

"Hello, how may I help you?" A woman's voice floated through. "We're here to visit Raine Tachibato." Matt grinned as the doors opened. Takeru frowned. "Matt, your awful skinny." He said. Matt shrugged. "I only started eating a week ago, Takeru. They don't give you shit when you're asleep." He said dryly, poking the shorter blond in the ribs. Takeru giggled and squirmed. Tai made a face at them as they entered the room.

"Are you awake yet, Mr. Raine?" Matt asked, walking to the side of the bed. He leaned in closer, pressing his ear to Raine's chest. "He's breathing!" He said, almost excitedly. Just then, he found his face being pushed away. "That's my ribs you're trying to collapse down there." Raine wheezed. Matt jumped and screamed, causing Tai to bust out laughing.

"Matt! You should have seen the look on your face! It was hilarious!" Tai fell to the ground in hysterics. All eyes turned to Tai. "Tai! No stuttering!" Raine said, amazed. Matt was speechless. "Yup! Davis was working with me!" Tai giggled. When Matt finally found himself, he punched Tai in the side. "You asshole." He muttered finally. Tai only smiled hugely.

* * *

"Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, you look like a monkey, and you live like one too!" Davis ran in with Takeru on his shoulders. "Happy 18th birthday Raine!" He blew a party favor in Raine's ear, causing Raine to swat him away. "Yeah, yeah." He said, grinning. Ken came in, carrying a huge box and putting it on the table. "Yeah, happy birthday." He said, poking his head around the box. Raine smiled, look as the box flaps opened. He blinked and jumped back as Matt came up out of the box and held his camera up. "Hey! I wonder how much money this picture of you and Davis making out will run for on Ebay! See ya!"

"…MATT!"

End.

* * *

FM: Well, I thought the ending was funny. I hope you all enjoyed! Ja!


End file.
